Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ningbo and Putrajaya

For one person, living is cheaper in Ningbo: $691 a month against $819 in Putrajaya, rent and utilities included – about $1,500 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

33

Cost of Living Index in Ningbo
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Ningbo Living Index
40

Cost of Living Index in Putrajaya
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Putrajaya Living Index

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Ningbo

🇨🇳 China

$691

/mo nomad

Putrajaya

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$819

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Ningbo and in Putrajaya

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Ningbo and in Putrajaya actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $691 in Ningbo versus $819 in Putrajaya.

Ningbo $691
Putrajaya $819

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,179 in Ningbo versus $1,226 in Putrajaya.

Ningbo $1,179
Putrajaya $1,226

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,668 in Ningbo versus $1,632 in Putrajaya.

Ningbo $1,668
Putrajaya $1,632

Living in Ningbo costs roughly 16% less than in Putrajaya, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Ningbo 49% lower, Putrajaya 40% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.89 ¥19.32

$3.63 MYR 14.82

-20.39%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$30.12 ¥201

$18.32 MYR 74.8

64.41%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.46 ¥29.83

$4.41 MYR 17.98

1.13%

Cappuccino

$3.52 ¥23.55

$2.88 MYR 11.77

22.22%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.44 ¥2.93

$0.81 MYR 3.32

-45.68%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ¥2.08

$0.40 MYR 1.61

-22.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.04 ¥6.95

$3.71 MYR 15.13

-71.97%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.44 ¥23.00

$4.70 MYR 19.17

-26.81%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.74 ¥11.65

$1.67 MYR 6.82

4.19%

White Bread (500g)

$1.16 ¥7.79

$1.06 MYR 4.31

9.43%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.70 ¥4.66

$1.50 MYR 6.11

-53.33%

Eggs

$1.56 ¥10.46

$1.66 MYR 6.79

-6.02%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.18 ¥101

$7.70 MYR 31.41

97.14%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.67 ¥24.53

$4.50 MYR 18.35

-18.44%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.78 ¥58.7

$9.86 MYR 40.24

-10.95%

Apples (1kg)

$1.07 ¥7.13

$2.38 MYR 9.73

-55.04%

Banana (1kg)

$1.56 ¥10.42

$1.57 MYR 6.40

-0.64%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.57 ¥10.52

$2.24 MYR 9.15

-29.91%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.22 ¥8.13

$1.69 MYR 6.88

-27.81%

Potato (1kg)

$0.62 ¥4.12

$1.34 MYR 5.45

-53.73%

Onion (1kg)

$0.70 ¥4.69

$1.44 MYR 5.86

-51.39%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.65 ¥4.32

$1.38 MYR 5.63

-52.90%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.57 ¥3.83

$0.51 MYR 2.09

11.76%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.61 ¥30.79

$4.23 MYR 17.27

8.98%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.03 ¥53.7

$13.72 MYR 56.0

-41.47%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.81 ¥5.43

$2.83 MYR 11.54

-71.38%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.50 ¥10.04

$3.09 MYR 12.61

-51.46%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.31 ¥2.08

$0.72 MYR 2.92

-56.94%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$16.67 ¥111

$12.17 MYR 49.64

36.98%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.68 ¥11.21

$0.96 MYR 3.90

75.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.35 ¥2.31

$0.51 MYR 2.07

-31.37%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.16 ¥47.90

$9.83 MYR 40.10

-27.16%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.33 ¥8.88

$0.70 MYR 2.85

90.00%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$19.6K ¥131.1K

$43.4K MYR 177.3K

-54.86%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$18.1K ¥121.3K

$34.4K MYR 140.2K

-47.23%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$51.9 ¥347

$52.1 MYR 213

-0.40%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$6.67 ¥44.63

$11.17 MYR 45.58

-40.29%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$7.80 ¥52.1

$22.52 MYR 91.9

-65.36%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$25.44 ¥170

$36.08 MYR 147

-29.49%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.16 ¥94.7

$9.33 MYR 38.07

51.77%

Cinema Ticket

$8.05 ¥53.8

$4.84 MYR 19.73

66.32%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$932 ¥6,234

$513 MYR 2,093

81.69%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.9K ¥106.6K

$4,478 MYR 18.3K

256.10%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$63.8 ¥427

$54.0 MYR 220

18.08%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$26.75 ¥179

$16.43 MYR 67.0

62.81%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$62.2 ¥416

$82.7 MYR 337

-24.81%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$52.6 ¥351

$84.3 MYR 344

-37.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$358 ¥2,394

$341 MYR 1,389

5.14%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$184 ¥1,230

$232 MYR 947

-20.75%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$766 ¥5,121

$645 MYR 2,633

18.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$469 ¥3,136

$363 MYR 1,480

29.31%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,784 ¥25.3K

$2,642 MYR 10.8K

43.22%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,053 ¥13.7K

$1,793 MYR 7,316

14.46%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,193 ¥7,977

$1,022 MYR 4,168

16.77%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.18

4.06

-21.67%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Ningbo: October 18, 2026

Last update for Putrajaya: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Groceries & Markets

Ningbo

$191 27.7%

Putrajaya

$220 26.9% 15.1% $29

Accommodation & Living

Ningbo

$184 26.6%

Putrajaya

$232 28.4% 26.2% $48

Eating Out

Ningbo

$94 13.6%

Putrajaya

$110 13.4% 16.9% $16

Clothing & Footwear

Ningbo

$92 13.4%

Putrajaya

$107 13.1% 15.7% $14

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ningbo

$66 9.6%

Putrajaya

$86 10.5% 29.3% $19

Sport & Entertainment

Ningbo

$42 6%

Putrajaya

$46 5.6% 10.2% $4.2

Getting Around

Ningbo

$21 3.1%

Putrajaya

$19 2.3% 13.1% $2.8

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $358 in Ningbo and $341 in Putrajaya. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Ningbo pays 17% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $30.00 in Ningbo vs $18.00 in Putrajaya. Groceries flip the comparison at $191 vs $220, with Ningbo cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Ningbo

🇲🇾 Putrajaya

🕒 Local time

06:06 6:06 AM

Same time as Ningbo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

7,605,689

109,202

💱 Currency

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

Malaysian Ringgit MYR RM

📈 Exchange rate

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.133 EUR

1 MYR = 0.245 USD

1 MYR = 0.218 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MYR, USD, EUR to CNY – Chinese Yuan Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇳 Chinese Yuan (¥)

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 6.69 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.52 CNY (1 CNY = 0.133 EUR).

Malaysian Ringgit exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 4.08 MYR (1 MYR = 0.245 USD). 1 EUR = 4.59 MYR (1 MYR = 0.218 EUR).

USD to CNY in detail →

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Between locations

Ningbo Putrajaya 3,660 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Ningbo
Putrajaya

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Ningbo vs Putrajaya: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Ningbo wins on cost – living expenses run 19% lower than in Putrajaya. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Ningbo the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 17% higher in Ningbo, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $358 in Ningbo versus $341 in Putrajaya. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $932 in Ningbo versus $513 in Putrajaya. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 15% higher in Putrajaya. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Either city works on $800 a month, though Ningbo gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Ningbo and Putrajaya are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Ningbo gentler on the wallet – expenses run 19% less than in Putrajaya. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.